Come Back, Be Here (Camren)

Chapter 3

As soon as brown eyes meet green eyes, Lauren lunges forward and takes the younger girl into her arms.

Lauren expected a lot.

She expected Camila to me mad.

She expected Camila to scream.

But she never expected what happened next.

The brown-eyed girl shoves Lauren back as hard as she can and the distance she puts between them finally gives Lauren a chance to see that the brown-eyes she loves so much are not familiar and warm anymore. The artist watches as her wife starts to retreat away from her until her back hits the wall of the bar. Lauren watches as the younger brunette sinks to the floor and curls herself into a small ball. The green-eyed girl faintly hears the sound of gasping noises start to fill the air.

Is she... hyperventilating? Lauren thinks as she takes in the girl's smaller form.

Camila's eyes go wide as she struggles to catch her breath. She curses her body for reacting this way every time someone unexpectedly touches her. Ever since the incident almost a year ago, she just has not been the same.

The green-eyed girl suddenly springs into action, her protective instincts taking over. "Camz." Lauren panics as she kneels down next to the trembling girl. "Breathe, baby." She coaxes while rubbing the girl's back. The sound of Camila's ragged breathing is tearing her heart in two.

Four years together and I've never seen Camila have a panic attack. Lauren thinks as she rubs circles on the teacher's back in attempt to slow her panicked breathing.

Camila scoots further away from the green-eyed girl and Lauren's heart breaks even more than she thought it ever possibly could. The worst part is, Lauren can't even tell if she is the cause of the fear in Camila's eyes or if the panic attack is.

Before Lauren can scoot any closer to the girl, she is yanked back. She turns around to give the culprit a piece of her mind, but is met with a quite tall, blonde headed girl who looks incredibly intimidating. Lauren watches as the girl's eyes flicker between her and her wife behind her, her eyes softening as they land on the younger brunette who is struggling to breathe.

"You." Dinah points to the wide-eyed brunette in front of her. "Stay here. I'm not done with you."

Lauren notices a presence beside her and she looks over to see the dark-skinned girl from the bar.

"Mani, watch her." Dinah points to Normani and then back to the green-eyed girl before her. The Polynesian then turns on her heels and makes her way to the younger brunette. She sits down beside her and transfers her from the floor to her lap in one quick motion.

"Okay chancho, breathe for me." Dinah whispers in Camila's ear as she rocks her slowly. "You're safe. I've got you."

Lauren feels a pang of jealously run through her as she watches her wife being comforted by another woman. Jealously turns to relief as soon as Camila's breathing slowly starts to return to normal again. After a couple of minutes, Camila removes her head from Dinah's neck and finally locks eyes with the green ones that haven't stopped staring at her.

"Camz." Lauren steps forward again, but halts as soon as she watches the Polynesian set Camila back down and stand up.

"You need to go." Dinah points behind Lauren to the exit of the bar. Before Lauren can protest, her favorite voice finally fills the air again.

"Dinah, it's okay." Camila stands up and places a hand on the blonde's shoulder. Dinah searches Camila's eyes and when she finds the reassurance she is looking for, she backs off and goes to stand beside Normani.